VU Amsterdam Fellowship Programme (VUFP) 2027-2028: Tuition Waiver, Eligibility and Deadline

The VU Amsterdam Fellowship Programme (VUFP) is a merit-based tuition fee waiver from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam for non-EU/EEA students starting a full-time, English-taught master’s in September 2027. It covers tuition fees only. You pay rent, food, insurance and all other living costs yourself. On a two-year master’s the waiver continues into year two if you earn all your first-year credits. Applying for the VUFP automatically puts you in the running for the NL Scholarship, a one-off €5,000 contribution to living costs.

The VUFP application opens on 1 November 2026, and the VU Amsterdam Fellowship Programme deadline is 1 February 2027 at 23:59 CET. You need to be admitted (conditionally is enough) to your master’s first, and VU advises applying for the programme by 1 December 2026. Results are expected in mid-March 2027. You need a GPA equivalent to at least a Dutch 8 out of 10, and only a small number of awards are given.

VU Amsterdam Fellowship Programme key facts

What the VUFP covers, and the money you still need

The VUFP waives your tuition fee. VU’s page does not describe the waiver as partial, and it does not attach any cash for living costs. VU says plainly that rent, food and insurance must be financed by the student. The university has committed roughly €1 million a year to attracting excellent students through this programme.

Your living costs are the real budget question. To get a Dutch study residence permit, the IND asks students in higher education to show €1,130.77 a month (the 2026 figure; it changes each January). That is about €13,570 for a 12-month year, and Amsterdam rents are among the highest in the Netherlands, so many students spend more.

• Covered: tuition fees, for one or two years.
• Possibly covered: €5,000 towards first-year living costs if you also win the NL Scholarship.
• Not covered: housing, food, health insurance, visa and residence permit fees, flights, books and the application fee.

The NL Scholarship that comes with your application

When you apply for the VUFP, VU also considers you for the NL Scholarship (formerly the Holland Scholarship). There is no separate form. It is a one-time €5,000 payment for your first year, funded by the Dutch government, Dutch universities and the VUvereniging. VU has around 20 to 25 of these each year, fewer than the number of VUFP holders, so not every fellow gets one. Students from Suriname and Switzerland are not eligible for it. You can read more in our guide to Netherlands government scholarships.

Scholars4Dev gives the number of VUFP awards as 20 to 25 a year and suggests the NL Scholarship could be €5,000 or €10,000. VU’s own page gives the 20 to 25 figure for the NL Scholarship, not the VUFP, and states the amount as €5,000.

VU Amsterdam Fellowship Programme eligibility

1. Passport and fee: you hold a non-EU/EEA passport and do not qualify for the lower statutory fee.
2. Nationality: you are not a Dutch national.
3. Grades: your GPA is at least equivalent to a Dutch 8.0 on the 1 to 10 scale.
4. Admission: you are conditionally or unconditionally admitted to the first year of a full-time English-taught master’s starting September 2027.
5. No Dutch degree: the degree that gets you into the master’s was not obtained in the Netherlands, and you hold no Dutch degree.
6. Not enrolled in the Netherlands: you are not currently in a Dutch bachelor’s or master’s.
7. No preparatory programme: you do not need a pre-master’s before starting.

How VU reads your GPA

VU does not convert grades with a simple percentage formula. It uses grade distribution data (for example from ECCTIS) to place your result on the Dutch scale. A Dutch 8 is a high mark, and VU publishes no table for African or Asian grading systems, so I cannot give you a fixed CGPA cut-off. In practice, aim to be near the top of your class.

• Only your bachelor’s GPA counts, even if you already have a master’s.
• If you have not graduated, submit your most recent transcript.
• Do not email your GPA in advance to ask if you qualify. VU only assesses complete applications.
• Meeting the 8.0 minimum gets your file processed. It does not guarantee an award.

Who is excluded

• Students starting in February.
• Joint programmes where VU does not handle admissions.
• Students already in a two-year VU master’s who did not get the VUFP for 2026-2027.
• Applicants with a Dutch degree or current Dutch enrolment.

One VUFP is set aside for a student who previously spent a semester or year at VU through the Semester in Amsterdam programme. If that is you, contact the Semester in Amsterdam team as well.

VU Amsterdam Fellowship Programme deadline and dates

How to apply for the VU Amsterdam Fellowship Programme

1. Register in Studielink: choose your English-taught VU master’s. Registration opens on 1 October 2026.
2. Apply for the master’s in the VU dashboard: by 1 December 2026, as VU advises, so you have an admission decision before the scholarship deadline.
3. Get conditional or full admission: you need this before you can apply for the VUFP.
4. Download the form: the official VUFP-NLS application form for 2027-2028 (a Word file). It contains the motivation and other questions.
5. Prepare your grade proof: your transcript or GPA document, with an explanation of your university’s grading scale.
6. Merge into one PDF: the completed form plus your grade proof and grading-scale explanation, in a single file.
7. Upload in the Scholarship section of your dashboard: between 1 November 2026 and 1 February 2027, 23:59 CET.

VU does not list a separate CV or reference letter for the VUFP. Everything it needs sits inside the form and your transcript. Incomplete files, including those with unanswered questions or a missing transcript, are not evaluated.

Answering the motivation questions

VU says GPA is one factor among several. The others are your motivation for VU and the programme, your future ambitions and your extracurricular activities. The motivation questions on the form are where you win or lose those points, so give each one its own specific answer.

1. Why VU and this programme: mention two concrete things, such as a specialisation track, a course or a research group, and why each matters to you.
2. Future ambitions: name a role or problem you want to work on in the next five years, and where.
3. Extracurricular activities: pick one or two with measurable results, such as a student society you led or a community project, and say what you did.

A strong opening for the first question might read: “I chose VU’s MSc in Global Health because my undergraduate thesis on malaria test stock-outs traced most shortages to supply-chain failures, and the programme’s health systems courses deal with exactly that problem.” Replace it with your own facts. Committees see many applicants with high grades; specifics are what separate them.

How VU selects fellows

1. Faculty review: the faculty that runs your chosen master’s reads your application.
2. Nomination: faculties nominate their best candidates to the Central Scholarship Committee.
3. Award: the committee awards fellowships based on academic performance and motivation.

If you win, you become an international student ambassador. That means answering prospective students’ questions on the Unibuddy chat platform, attending a kick-off session in October and following VU’s ambassador handbook. If you disagree with the decision, you can complain in writing through VU’s scholarship contact form; complaints about the procedure go to the student ombudsman.

Common mistakes

• Applying for the master’s in January and getting no admission decision before 1 February.
• Using last year’s form, which VU rejects.
• Uploading the form and transcript as separate files instead of one PDF.
• Leaving out the grading-scale explanation, so the committee cannot read your grades.
• Applying for a programme that starts in February or needs a pre-master’s.
• Missing the two-week window to respond to an offer in March.

VUFP compared with other Dutch master’s scholarships

Most Dutch universities follow their own English test rules. If you studied in English and want to avoid IELTS, our guide to scholarships in the Netherlands without IELTS shows VU’s exemption list alongside other universities.

Who should apply, and who should not

Apply if you graduated near the top of your class, you have a clear reason for choosing a specific VU master’s, and you can fund your living costs in Amsterdam for the length of the programme. The automatic NL Scholarship consideration is a useful extra.

I would not count on it if your grades are middling, if you need living costs paid to travel at all, or if your programme starts in February. In that case, look at fully funded options first.

FAQ about the VU Amsterdam Fellowship Programme

Is the VU Amsterdam Fellowship fully funded?

No. It waives tuition fees only. You may also get the €5,000 NL Scholarship, but rent, food and insurance are your responsibility.

What is the VUFP deadline for 2027?

The deadline is 1 February 2027 at 23:59 CET. VU advises applying for your master’s by 1 December 2026 so you are admitted in time.

What GPA do I need for the VU Amsterdam Fellowship?

At least the equivalent of a Dutch 8.0 out of 10 in your bachelor’s. VU converts foreign grades using grade distribution data, not a simple percentage.

Do I need a reference letter for the VUFP?

VU does not list one. You submit the 2027-2028 application form plus your transcript and grading-scale explanation, merged into one PDF.

Sources and updates

Coverage, eligibility, GPA rules, documents, selection, dates and NL Scholarship details come from VU Amsterdam’s incoming master’s scholarships page. The living cost figure comes from the IND required amounts page. Scholars4Dev’s claims of 20 to 25 VUFP awards and a possible €10,000 NL Scholarship were corrected against VU’s page. Information checked on 25 October 2026. I will update this post if VU changes its 2027-2028 details.

Jude Chinecherem

I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.